COLLEGE PARK, MD — Derik Queen used all of his six-foot-10 frame to snatch his lone defensive rebound. The highly touted freshman quickly outletted the ball up court to Rodney Rice.
Rice didn’t need any dribbles before rising up for a contested layup. The Virginia Tech transfer finished through contact, converting on an and-one opportunity.
The Terps trailed throughout the opening 10 minutes on Friday. Despite the slow start, immediate offense from Rice gave Maryland a lead they never relinquished – cruising to a 86-52 victory over Mount St. Mary’s.
With just over three minutes to play in the first half, the sophomore had already notched 18 points — a new career high.
Rice finished the first half with 26 points, knocking down 10 of 13 shots from the field. The sophomore guard – playing in just his second game since March of 2023, became the first Terp to score 20 points in a half since Jahmir Young last January.
“The ball found me a lot. I was very fortunate for that,” Rice said. “It felt good to be out there.”
For the second consecutive game, coach Kevin Willard stuck with an identical starting lineup. Another slow start for the Terps saw themselves trail by eight just minutes into the first quarter.
“Teams are going to come in and they’re going to give you your best shot the first five to 10 minutes,” Willard said. “We weathered the storm and then we imposed our will.”
The Mountaineers started off strong, connecting on four of their first six shots — including a pair of three pointers. It was the exact opposite for Maryland, who missed its first four shots.
The offense finally settled in once Rice checked into the game. Maryland finished the half on a 19-4 run, led by its perimeter shooting. After shooting under 25% from deep in Monday’s season-opener, the Terps’ guards finally found their stroke.
Rice, Jay Young and junior transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie combined to go 7-for-9 on 3-point field goals in the first half alone.
“When we’re knocking down threes consistently like that, they can’t double [Reese] or Derik [Queen],” Gillespie said.
The second half was more of the same for Maryland. It outscored Mount St. Mary’s 28-26, maintaining a sizable advantage throughout the final 20 minutes.
Queen had a relatively quiet night after a career debut in which he became the first Terp to score 20 points and collect 20 rebounds since Joe Smith in 1995. The Baltimore native finished with a modest eight points and grabbed just one rebound.
Fellow frontcourt mate Julian Reese nearly averaged a double-double in 2023, tallying 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Reese has yet to score in double-figures in what’s been a relatively slow start to the season.
But those around Reese have contributed effectively — a trend that Willard hopes to sustain.
“Showing the [opponent] different looks is great … not putting a lot of mileage on guys this time of year,” Willard said. “I think it will pay dividends for all of those guys when they do have to put a lot of mileage on come December.”
Maryland’s offense finished the game shooting 43.1% from the field, while connecting on nine of its 23 three-point attempts. Terps transfers made all but one of those buckets from beyond the arc.
It was another exciting offensive display for the Terps, who scored over 75 points for the second straight game to begin the season. Maryland didn’t reach that mark last season, until its fifth game of the year.
Rice ended the night leading all scorers with 28 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Gillespie also maintained his efficiency on Friday. The Belmont transfer tallied 13 points against the Mountaineers, after scoring 16 in Monday’s season-opener.
The Terps (2-0) will look to improve to 3-0 when they host Florida A&M (0-2) on Monday. Dash Tischler and Jack Wynn will be on the call for WMUC Sports Radio at 7:00 p.m.
